Solid waste management user charges introduced

Solid waste management user charges introduced

Self-help group members collecting garbage at Gandhi Market in Tiruchi.Photo: M. Moorthy

Tiruchi Corporation’s move draws flak from a section of residents

The
Tiruchi Corporation’s move to introduce a new levy in the form of solid
waste management user charges has drawn flak from a section of city
residents.

The Corporation has started collecting the charges this
financial year. Tax demand notices sent to residents also mention the
levy as a separate head. The solid waste management user charges starts
from Rs. 30 per half-year at the rate of Rs. 5 a month for a tax
assessment of Rs. 500. But it varies, commensurate with the property tax
rates of residential buildings. If a resident is liable to pay property
tax of Rs. 1,000 for his house, the charge will be Rs. 60 per
half-year.

Corporation Special Officer-cum-Commissioner
N.Ravichandran said the levy had been introduced as per the government
guidelines under the Swachh Bharat Mission. “This is done across the
country. But we have fixed the minimum rate of Rs. 5 a month for
property tax assessments of Rs. 500. We have followed the due procedure,
gazetted it and also issued advertisement,” Mr. Ravichandran told The Hindu .

The
charge is being levied to meet at least a portion of the expenditure
incurred towards sanitation initiatives. Sources in the Corporation said
the user charge had been fixed for residential buildings in the city.
The charges for commercial and industrial building would be fixed soon
and collected from such property owners too.

Taking
exception to the move, S.Pushpavanam, Secretary, Consumer Protection
Council, Tamil Nadu, said residents of the city were already paying
property, professional tax and water charges, besides underground
drainage maintenance charges, so that the Corporation can discharge its
duties.

“The primary duty of the Corporation is to keep the city
clean by clearing garbage, ensuring sanitation by constructing and
maintaining drains and dispose of sewage and laying and maintaining
roads. For laying and maintaining roads, it gets special funds from the
State Government and it gets funds from State Governments to meet its
deficit and for special projects. When such is the case, levying charges
for solid waste management separately is bad in law and in ethics. It
is an unfair practice,” Mr.Pushpavanam contended. “If this is allowed,
tomorrow, they may levy separate charges for cleaning the streets,
maintaining drains and paying salaries to staff,” he observed.

No
other Corporation such as Madurai, Coimbatore or Tirunelveli has imposed
such a tax, he claimed and urged the Tiruchi Corporation authorities to
stop collecting the tax and refund it to people who have already paid
it.

Other urban local bodies were in the process of fixing and collecting the charges, Mr. Ravichandran pointed out.